Leena Munjal, senior vice president, Member Experience and Integrated Retail, Sears Holdings, told Loyalty360 that the company’s services are designed with a key principle in mind: “Innovating around our members and customers, and designing experiences that are convenient for them.”
Enter Sears In-Vehicle Pickup, which is powered by the company’s Shop Your Way loyalty program mobile app. It’s a free service and loyalty program members can pick up online purchases in five minutes or less, without leaving their vehicle.
To take advantage of the new convenience, Shop Your Way members shop online, completing their purchase via computer or tablet. At check-out, they choose In-Vehicle Pickup and input details of the vehicle they'll arrive in, then sign in to their Shop Your Way mobile app and enable location services before leaving for the store. Upon arrival at their local Sears, members simply:
Pull up to the In-Vehicle Pickup spots located conveniently outside of the merchandise pickup location.
Use the Shop’In feature in the Shop Your Way mobile app to initiate In-Vehicle Pickup–a timer will start on the phone.
In five minutes or less, an associate will bring the purchase to the car and verify the purchase using the payment method used online.
“Since we first launched Free Store Pickup more than 12 years ago, we have continuously found ways to expand and enhance our buy online, pick-up in-store capabilities and have built seamless connections between in-store, mobile and online shopping experiences for our Shop Your Way members and customers,” Munjal said. “Free Store Pickup already has high affinity among members and we wanted to make the option even more convenient. We are receiving positive feedback from our members who have tried this capability so far and they are finding it really convenient–those with small children who want to make a quick stop, senior citizens with limited movement, those who live in inclement climates, or anyone who needs an extra hand. Now, using the Shop Your Way mobile app, shoppers can pick up their online purchases at any Sears store within five minutes of arrival without ever leaving their car.”
Munjal said Sears received significant positive feedback from members who were already taking advantage of the Free Store Pickup option and that information was valuable in rolling out the new feature.
“We want our members to shop on their own terms–whenever and wherever they want,” she said. “When members use the “Shop’In” feature to complete In-Vehicle Pickup, they get great member-only coupons and savings on their mobile app which they can use immediately by coming into our stores, or if they are in a rush to get home, they can use it at a later time online. Our integrated retail strategy is focused around our Shop Your Way members, which account for more than 60% of transactions and sales for Sears Holdings. We are creating seamless experiences across channels that make them want to come back for more, like the In-Vehicle Pickup option.”
Munjal said that the company’s Shop Your Way members and customers are at “the heart of everything we do.”
As technology has dramatically changed shopping behavior in the past few years and customers have become more informed than ever, Munjal said the challenge Sears is focused on is how to innovate consistently to serve, delight, and engage members.
“We aim to be the world’s greatest integrated retailer and that starts with leveraging our strengths–our associates, physical stores, online and mobile capabilities, the Shop Your Way membership program, and a robust supply chain to provide our members with the ease of shopping online and the physical aspect of shopping in store,” she said.
Unlike other reward programs, there is no minimum required for Shop Your Way members to redeem points and points can be used toward purchases across various product categories.